#iKllr

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Notes

On #iKllr, composer Jerome Leroy was presented with a challenge: how to realistically, subtly, and dramatically complement a “found footage” psychological thriller told completely through the perspective of a stalker’s cell phone. In the film, the (never seen) anti-hero gets closer and closer to Jen, a woman he’s obsessed with, and documents his prowess by posting ever-closer photos of her on a Twitter account that gradually amasses more and more followers.

The score was a departure for Leroy, better known for his warm, orchestral music for films like The Mistover Tale and A Better Place. But he relished the unique opportunity to represent the disconnect between a vulnerable woman and the eyes of the predator we see her through. The concept pushed Leroy to ratchet up the tension through quickening rhythmic heartbeats and aleatoric writing that echoed the sounds of technology employed by the film’s stalker. “I tried to use and create sounds that were unclean and raspy, almost like an out-of-range radio or an analog modem,” he says. “While I did rely on traditional types of grooves and ambiences you might find in other thriller scores, I really wanted to make a connection to the electronic realm.”

In this sea of cold and inhuman tension, Jen’s humanity is represented with a motif for detuned piano which is then distorted and washed out to underline her warped objectification. Yet her beauty also bubbles up and occasionally breaks the surface, culminating in the climactic track “Jen’s Body.” “After this drawn-out hunt, you get to this peaceful, melancholic, quasi-romantic piece,” explains Leroy. “The hunter looks at his prey and contemplates her body. He finally captured her and can do as he pleases.” “At the end of it all,” adds Leroy, “the goal was always to represent the stalker’s emotional attraction to Jen—even if a perverted one.”

— Tim Greiving

In an era of constant spying and hacking made possible by our recent hyper-connectivity, the timeliness of Jeffrey Coghlan’s “iKllr” cannot be overstated… it was an interesting challenge to figure out how to musically support the constant fear and threat this new reality sets upon us—especially once an omnipresent, yet never-seen, perpetrator decides, for his own enjoyment, to target innocent lives…

Credits

Additional Music & Programming
Alex Kovacs

Score Mixed by
Matt Ward

Mixed at
Momentum RLP Studios, Santa Monica

Scoring Assistant
Jonathan Ong

Score Produced by
Jerome Leroy

Mastered by
Patricia Sullivan, Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood

Album Art Direction by
Javier Burgos

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Alex Kovacs and Matt Ward for their unwavering support from day one—this was the first gig we worked on together and it created the benchmark for all the following ones! Thank you to William Ross and everyone at Momentum RLP for making this score possible. Thanks of course to Perrine for bearing with the insane schedule. With very special thanks to Sarah Kovacs.